Newsletter

A time to sue

What part of that order did Scott Lansing, the former director of the Chatham Area Transit system, not understand?

The public board that oversees Savannah-Chatham County's bus system has voted unanimously to sue Mr. Lansing's employer, First Transit, for $530,000. That's the amount that the board's attorney contends the one-time CAT boss improperly spent between 2002 and 2004 to pay for design work on the proposed $13-million transit center.

It's also a half-million dollars that the transit system could spend in many other ways.

Credit Chatham County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis, who took office in 2005, and the other county commissioners and CAT board members for bringing this matter to the public's attention - and pressing for a resolution in Chatham County Superior Court.

But what took so long? Where was the CAT board and its attorney from 2002 through 2004? Was anyone minding the store?

First Transit, which manages CAT on a contract basis with the county, transferred Mr. Lansing to a management position in Austin, Texas, in early 2005. Whether his transfer after 10 years of employment was related to questionable spending wasn't reported at that time.

In addition, there was no public indication that the prior chairman, Billy Hair, or members of the CAT board were unhappy with Mr. Lansing's performance regarding fees he authorized for design work over two years.

Enter Mr. Liakakis in January 2005 - and exit Mr. Lansing, who was out the door at the end of March 2005.

"When we first came on board, we started looking at this," Mr. Liakakis said. "Once we started studying it, we had concerns."

So should anyone who supports proper oversight of public funds.

In an eight-page complaint, CAT's board alleges that between June 12, 2002, and May 6, 2004, Mr. Lansing authorized expenditures worth $529,849 to the Atlanta-based architectural firm of Diedrich Niles Bolton Associates for work involving the design of the transit center, which the county hopes to build downtown.

But according to Donnie Dixon, the attorney who is representing the CAT board, Mr. Lansing was supposed to get prior approval before signing off on any amount over $20,000. He didn't, according to Mr. Dixon. In fact, he said, Mr. Lansing exceeded his authority at least nine different times - which, if true, speaks poorly of the prior commission and CAT board.

Bill Williamson, regional vice president for First Transit, which is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, said he's unhappy with the county's decision to sue. "We've been talking with them about this for some time," he said.

But that's apparently the problem. Talking isn't getting the county closer to its $500,000. Talking doesn't explain how CAT's director allegedly violated the rules nine times over two years.

Plans for the downtown transit center have been on the drawing board for years, but construction has been delayed because of site issues. In a closed session in June, the CAT board decided to begin negotiations to purchase the land next to the Thunderbird Motel on Oglethorpe Avenue, not far from the foot of the Talmadge Memorial Bridge. But the project remains a work in process.

One issue that the former County Commission struggled with, at least under Mr. Hair's chairmanship, was monitoring Mr. Lansing's work. Technically, he was employed by First Transit. He didn't work under County Manager Russ Abolt. The best commissioners could do at the time was to conduct annual performance reviews - probably not the best way to run things when more than a half-million dollars were being spent.

So what was Mr. Williamson's role? Was he monitoring his employee? Did he know Mr. Lansing was approving payments to an Atlanta-based architectural firm for as much as $89,851 at one time? Did any of the county's internal auditors pick up on this? If not, why not?

It's unclear what First Transit's defense is here.

Meanwhile, a healthy public transit system is vital to Chatham County. Not everyone can afford private transportation to get to work, stores or the doctor's office.

That's why limited public funds allocated for CAT must be spent wisely - and according to the rules.

We agree with Mr. Liakakis. There's a time to talk and a time to sue. After almost two years of blabbering, this is a time to put the facts on the table. We trust the court will sort it out.